AOPA's Airport Directory 2003/2004 on its way to AOPA membersAOPA's Airport Directory 2003/2004 on its way to AOPA members

<BR><SPAN class=twodeck>Also available for purchase through Sporty's</SPAN><BR><SPAN class=twodeck>Also available for purchase through Sporty's</SPAN>

May 2, 2003

AOPA members are already beginning to receive their personal copies of AOPA's Airport Directory 2003/2004, general aviation's most comprehensive airport directory, which provides detailed information on more than 5,200 public-use airports, 2,000 private-use airports, 5,300 FBOs, and some 50,000 listings for on-airport and near-airport services.

The 680-page directory, published every two years, was mailed in late January to all current AOPA members who requested a copy, and to all members enrolled in the association's automatic annual renewal program.

Directory cover celebrates the centennial of flight

Marking the centennial of powered flight, the cover celebrates aviation's past, present, and future with the original Wright Flyer overlaid on a photo of a Waco UPF-7 and a Cirrus SR22 at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

" AOPA's Airport Directory 2003/2004 is aviation's most exhaustive source on airport facilities and nearby services," said Machteld Smith, director of the publication. "There is no other publication that combines so much information in one volume. Many consider AOPA's Airport Directory among the most valuable benefits of AOPA membership."

New listing of direct lines to each flight service station

The directory provides a wealth of useful flight-planning information in one volume. New to the publication this year are discrete toll-free telephone numbers for the FAA's automated flight service stations (AFSSs), allowing pilots away from home—or wanting local notams for a distant facility—to call a specific AFSS on a cellular phone without automatically being directed to their "home" AFSS. They're found beginning on page 1-8 with other weather and flight information phone numbers.

Phone numbers for air traffic control facilities begin on page 1-11. Other information, such as the directory's popular listing of aviation associations and aircraft type clubs, has been moved to AOPA Online where it can be updated more frequently.

As in earlier editions, listings include critical safety information pertaining to flight operations at or near the airport, such as area obstructions, nonstandard traffic patterns, and extensive flight training conducted at the airport. Where applicable, listings specify noise abatement procedures to help pilots observe local noise guidelines and fly friendly. Also included is a directory of airports of entry in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean with expanded notes, FBO, and fuel information, and a directory of airports with U.S. Customs service for your return to the United States.

AOPA's Airport Directory incorporates some 350 cross-referenced city names throughout the listings to help pilots find an airport when the location name differs from the FAA-assigned city name. In addition, a 24-page landing facility index at the end of the book provides an easy lookup by airport name. This index is arranged in alphabetical order by airport name and indicates the page on which the airport listing can be found.

The directory offers a host of airport features and services, including FBO services, fuel and transportation information, and nearby hotels and restaurants. Icons identify key services, such as FBOs qualifying for the 5% AOPA FBO Rebate Program, where any eligible purchase made with an AOPA MasterCard or AOPA Visa credit card earns the member a five-percent rebate directly from credit-card partner MBNA America Bank, N.A., up to a maximum rebate of $250 per calendar year. Other icons indicate FBOs that offer Meteorlogix computerized weather services or sell Avfuel-brand fuel.

The data is the most up-to-date available at the time of publication. However, airport data is updated every business day, and those updates are immediately available to all members on AOPA's Airport Directory Online. Making the information even more accessible, members may download AOPA's Airport eDirectory to IBM-compatible personal computers and their Palm OS-based personal digital assistants.

One copy of AOPA's Airport Directory 2003/2004 is free to AOPA members who select this benefit. Members may purchase additional copies of AOPA's Airport Directory for $24.95 from Sporty's Pilot Shop; the nonmember price is $34.95. Call 800/SPORTYS to order.

With more than 390,000 members, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is the world's largest civil aviation organization, working to protect the interests of general aviation. Some two thirds of all U.S. pilots are members of AOPA.